Audience Reviews
View All (1000+) audience reviews Ray T Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane is truly a masterpiece and an early example of the auteur practice, with Orson Welles serving as producer, director, and lead actor, portraying Charles Foster Kane. The film adopts a nonlinear storytelling style, beginning with a sense of suspense surrounding the word “Rosebud.” It tells the story of the extravagant life of Charles Foster Kane and ends with a heartwarming, simple memory of his childhood—“Rosebud,” representing his innocent and happy times.Another aspect that really caught my attention is the cinematography by Gregg Toland. The use of deep focus, where both the foreground and background remain in focus, supports the story in an innovative and engaging way. Dramatic lighting, such as low-key lighting and high contrast, also stands out. For instance, in certain moments, Charles is completely in darkness, and the next second he steps into the light, suggesting the various sides of his personality. I really love the mood conveyed by the silhouettes. However, I do feel there is a lack of positive representation of women and people of color in the film.The seamless integration of sound design and montage blurs the line between editing and storytelling, making transitions feel natural. Additionally, the use of double exposure in scenes like the montage sequence, which conveys Susan Alexander’s rise to fame, juxtaposing newspapers with her singing, is remarkable. Citizen Kane also incorporates experimental elements and filmmaking techniques that were pioneering for its time, making it a must-watch film that continues to inspire filmmakers for generations. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/13/24 Full Review Audience Member Rose Bud ✨This is the second time I have watched this wonderful cinematic art. The film presented a legendary scenario about the idea of rise and fall. The film scenario in general is excellent. It presented a legendary story. Kane is the child who was deprived of his childhood and tried to compensate for it with power, influence, strength, money, and everything materialistic is possible to the point of He was close to the presidency, but in the end he died alone with one thing, which was the snow globe that reminded him of his childhood. The word “Rosebud” is not just a word, but rather an expression of Ken’s lost childhood, the love and affection that was deprived of him at an early age. The sled “Rosebud,” which represents his childhood. We saw at the end of the film a palace was full of material possessions, statues, and valuables, but he died and left them behind him. This is an expression of how important feelings, emotional tenderness, and moral things are in life that remain permanently if they are influential, unlike material things that a person dies and does not take from. Kane obtained wealth. He needed power and everything materialistic, but all of this did not really mean anything and did not affect him in the least. Rather, he lost the things he loved, starting with his mother, with whom he lived only a little, then his work and his career, and then the other emotional break in his life Susan Alexander , the wife who He did not live with her properly, but rather lived with her as if he was doing business or as if he was managing a team or a business. We saw him forcing her to sing as if he was doing a successful job. The scene of the presentation she gave and then the warm applause he gave her after being silent for a while. The applause is a desperate attempt to convince himself that he is... In fact, it is worth noting that Ken’s problems in romantic relationships, as I said, were due to his failure to obtain the essence of life, (LOVE) On the contrary, he succeeded in work relationships, through which he established great wealth and material success. In the sense that work and its concept took over his life, his character, his thoughts, and his dealings with anything. In the end, we did not know the absolute truth. These are different stories and narrations from more than one person during the film, and despite that, we got value and a deep idea. The makeup was excellent in moving through the age stages. As I said, the script is more than wonderful, deserving of an Oscar, and great dialogues. Editing is a point The strength of the film is clear. The directing was legendary and the shooting angles were meaningful. The narration of the film was in the manner of starting from scratch and rising, then collapsing and falling, which is a method that I love very much. In conclusion, I would like to extend my greetings, respect and love to Orson Welles, may God have mercy on him, for this great and immortal work of art and the creativity he presented in writing. Produced and directed, this film is truly a true masterpiece Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/07/24 Full Review Isa B From 1941, until The Godfather was released in 1972, Citizen Kane was the greatest motion picture ever made. To this day, I rank it #3, only behind the first two Godfather films. Orson Welles is an absolute genius! He starred, directed and co-wrote this masterpiece film. His performance was one for the ages as he believably played the protagonist, Charles Foster Kane from his mid-twenties until he was in his 70s. That is some feat. The cinematography was cutting edge with the use of deep focus, low aperture was not widely used back then. Seeing everything in focus was new for most cinema fans. I can't praise this picture enough. It is definitely one of my all-time favorites. It is a must watch for any true fan of this beautiful art form of filmmaking. I highly recommend. 100/100 🏆 Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/05/24 Full Review Keith N The movie is alright, I mean it's a classic yes, but to me I was both investing and boring at the same time. Would I recommend it? Yes if you love these types of films Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/01/24 Full Review Eric D Citizen Kane is a film considered by many as the greatest of all time which is why many filmmakers refer to it a lot, but I think it lacks a lot to be considered that. There were many parts of the film that I can admit I found boring and I've watched this film more than twice. I think the main aspect that makes this film receive such great reviews is the cinematography which I agree is amazingly done. There are many beautiful scenes throughout the film that make it very visually appealing which is why I believe many filmmakers use this film as inspiration when it comes to how they shoot their scenes. The film does follow an interesting storyline that I enjoyed but there are some questionable scenes when it comes to keeping the storyline moving forward which as I mentioned before, makes some scenes boring. But I will like to add that the ending was fantastic, and one of my favorite endings to a film ever. Orson Welles does an incredible job when it comes to acting, and so do all the other characters in the film. From the body language to the voice acting, every single actor did a great performance when it comes to interpreting their characters. Overall, even though I don’t think this film is the greatest of all time, I do think it is revolutionary when it comes to cinematography and I think filmmakers will continue to take this film into consideration when discussing inspiration for their own projects. Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/27/24 Full Review Isaac C Citizen Kane is widely considered by many to be one of the greatest films of all time, I would starkly disagree with this idea. Sure, this is a very well-made film with a great story and a very talented cast, but to be claimed as the pinnacle of cinema is a stretch. It is undeniable how impressive the cinematography is from the opening shots. I can only imagine how astounding it may have been to witness art of this caliber then. Even now I was extremely impressed with all the cinematography in the film. This cannot be understated as Kane’s cinematography holds up today and even surpasses much of what modern Hollywood is pushing today. Albeit, this was the only astoundingly high praise I could give the film. The story begins interestingly enough but dulls as the story continues. This is one of my biggest gripes as a story is the most important part of a film, yet Kane feels as if it is missing something to me. I also am aware of the history behind the film and its importance to cinema culture as an inspiration to hundreds of films after it. Cinema has only improved with Citizen Kane being looked to as an inspiration for many movies after it. I can understand the hype of Citizen Kane as the most important film in cinema history, but to call it the greatest film of all time is definitely a strecth. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/25/24 Full Review Read all reviews